


Must Have Been The Wind

by MusicPlotter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Alternate Universe - Muggle, Child Abuse, Don't copy to another site, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, POV Draco Malfoy, Slash, ill add more as we go along, okay here we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 12:24:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19229092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicPlotter/pseuds/MusicPlotter
Summary: *Based on Alec Benjamin's new song 'Must Have Been The Wind', which means in the first few chapters, lines of dialogue might be taken directly from the song*Draco's just moving into his new apartment, ready to start a new life, when he hears glass shattering in the apartment above him. He's ready to dismiss it when he hears a voice full of pain, a voice that he recognises in himself. He's been waiting for a distraction and well, if he can help someone along the way then who is he to ignore the voice?





	Must Have Been The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco hears glass smashing in the apartment above. That in combination with an eerily familiar pain-filled voice makes Draco go to investigate. That, of course, and the fact that he's been desperately searching for a distraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone who reads this! This is based on Alec Benjamin's new song, "Must Have Been The Wind" - which I've been listening to on repeat. I thought wow, someone should write a story on this, and then when no one did within 24 hours I gave up and started one myself. This means that a few lines of dialogue will be taken directly from the song.
> 
> This is definitely more self-indulgent than anything, so updates could be slow, but I've recently gained a lot of time so we'll see. 
> 
> If you have any constructive criticism let me know, I'd love to hear it. 
> 
> I'll probably reload a chapter again and again because I'll keep finding new things to add, so sorry in advance. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think.

Moving was such hard work. Honestly, here he was, sweating, just because this stupid box refused to move one more inch to the left. He pushed and pushed, planting his feet on the wall behind him to stop himself from sliding back. Gathering up all his strength for one final push he put all his might into trying to make that box move. Come on, just one more inch, that’s all he needs and then he can be done for the day, just one more inch. Nothing. Was this what giving birth was like? So much effort for so little reward?

 

Pale cheeks flushed from exertion as the teenager sat down in a huff on the very source of his irritation. Draco wished for nothing more than a distraction, an excuse to ignore this infuriating box that was practically asking to be set on fire. Why was he doing this again?

 

Oh yeah, that’s right, he had decided to fly the nest, leave his family, get his own name - not the tainted one that had carried him so far before falling short. There was a part of Draco, much more bitter than he liked to see himself, mocking him - if he couldn’t even move a box on his own then how was he going to manage the rest of his new adventure? God - he was going to have to find himself a job, the thought of using anything more from his allowance disgusted him. He had used the bare minimum in finding an apartment and it showed.

 

As he looked up he saw yet another damp spot mocking him and everything he stood for; he averted his eyes, trying to find some semblance of control in this new environment but all he saw were the cracks running across the wall. Running just like he was, away from his fate and expectations and society and his mother and Jesus what was he doing here-

 

The sound of glass shattering swiftly brought his thoughts away from an inevitable breakdown. He frantically opened the box beneath him, worried he had managed to break one of his only possessions, failing already. He almost hit himself when he realised he could have just emptied the box and then moved it. Yawning, he decided he deserved a nap - after all, he had the rest of his life to sort out his new living arrangements, it could wait an hour. As he moved wearily towards the armchair, which was suddenly looking awfully comfortable, he seemed to have forgotten the noise that had given so much panic beforehand. He was soon reminded by the faint sounds of a voice from above him.

 

The voice was hoarse, pained, hopeless - it reminded him of when he had discovered what his father had done to those poor girls; when he had cried out in denial and confusion, not wanting to believe that his beloved father could fall so far from the pedestal that he had been put on. It didn’t take more than three brain cells to connect the two noises together and Draco took pride in his four. The noise was coming from the apartment above him and Draco told himself that it was only because he was searching for a distraction that he left his apartment and took the lift to the second floor - certainly not because he wanted, needed, to help anyone who sounded like that.

 

He waited patiently in the lift, projecting nothing but a calm composure even if there was something inside of him niggling away, concerned despite his best efforts. Anyone who sounded like that couldn’t be okay, though the sounds had only been faint and it was possible that he was about to walk into a very embarrassing situation. What if it was just a rather explorative couple living above him? Or maybe someone was just watching a film? The only thing that kept Draco going after his moment of indecision is what if it wasn’t? That and the fact that he was raised a Malfoy, and Malfoy’s certainly didn’t doubt themselves.

 

Polished shoes stood out against a discoloured floor and Draco was once again reminded of how far out of his comfort zone he was. His usually sculpted hair flopped down onto his head in a haphazard way, it too tired from a day’s work. Draco pushed it out of his eyes in irritation, making a mental note to get a haircut when he got the chance. It distracted from the rest of his perfect self, ruining the image of superiority - though, Draco conceded, he held no superiority here and that was definitely not the first impression he wanted to make. Maybe the hair could stay.

 

The doors opened to show a corridor remarkably similar to his own, down to the mysterious patches of _something_ on the ageing carpet, the only thing that allowed Draco to tell the two apart was the numbers on the doors. Despite his horror at being reminded he was somewhere with no particular magnificence, Draco was thankful for the similarity in the floors. Tracing the path that he would take to his own apartment, he stopped outside a door that looked rather innocent. No longer could he hear the faint voice that had called him here in the first place. He once again squashed his indecision as he had earlier to a spider that had dared to enter his new bedroom. Pulling up all his non-existent courage and focusing it into one arm, Draco knocked.

 

There was a long minute where nothing happened. That minute felt like an entire eternity to Draco, who had all but given up and decided that maybe the floor layouts weren’t so similar after all. Finally, he heard an indistinguishable gruff voice, very unlike the one that had brought him so far away from the comfort of his new home. A moment later feet pattered to the door and the sound of the handle turning brought Draco to his senses. What exactly was he going to say?

 

_“Hello, yes I just moved in downstairs and I was wondering if you are suffering from great pain and if you would please share it with me so that I can make you feel better.”_

 

Or maybe: _“I’m Draco Malfoy, oh you’ve heard of my father? Oh, ah about that.”_

 

Even better: “ _Would you like to tell me about everything that’s making you sound like your life if a mess because I want to feel better about my own. Thank you ever so much!”_

 

Before he could think about it further, the door opened and Draco no longer had time for creating some sort of plan, so he opened his mouth to introduce himself but embarrassingly choked once he saw the person in front of him.

 

Draco Malfoy didn’t consider himself an especially tall person, maybe slightly taller than average on a good day but the person in front of him made him reconsider that opinion. Messy black curls, slightly covered by a hood reached to his chest and if not for the face of the person, Draco would have considered them a child - but, God, the face. Sharp cheekbones that would have made Draco feel less secure about his own looks had he not been raised to have the ultimate belief that he was better than everyone mocked him. Even if it was a belief that Draco had very recently realised was wrong. The person inside the door frame looked up at him and suddenly all Draco could see was shadowed green eyes curtained by long eyelashes. As mesmerising as the image before him was, Draco sensed that there was something wrong with the image before him, having been raised to sniff out lies and weaknesses since he was young. It was this that brought him to his senses and allowed him to introduce himself, holding out his hand to shake.

 

“Hello there, I’m Draco. I was just wondering if everything was alright up here?”

 

There, that was much better than it could have been. There was no way this person could relate Draco to his father, and he wasn’t being overly curious. Hopefully.

 

The person in the doorframe seemed to be at ease with Draco in front of him, arms crossed in front of him in a casual manner.

 

“Everything’s fine sir.” The polite formality made Draco feel uneasy, not used to being called sir by others his age. Sure, there had been the adults at the ridiculous conventions he had been forced to go to who had been trying to suck up to him in the hopes it would reach his father, but no one his own age really bothered with it, finding it equally ridiculous. Despite the politeness, the stranger didn’t shake his hand, so Draco casually retracted it as if it had never been there in the first place.

 

The term of address only briefly distracted him from the voice, because Draco knew that it was the same voice from earlier. Though hidden behind layers of formality and politeness, Draco thought he could still hear the agony of a life who had seen more than his age accounted for. Or perhaps he really wanted that distraction. Either way, he wasn’t about to let it go that easily.

 

“Are you sure? I live in the apartment below you see, I heard a glass smash and it sounded like,” _you,_ “ someone,” _were suffering from indescribable grief, “_ was in pain. Are you sure that everyone’s okay? And please, it’s Draco.”

 

There! A reaction at last. The polite facade cracked for a second as tanned cheeks flushed, it was barely noticeable, but Draco had been looking for it like a starved man - undeniably curious about the specimen in front of him. He wondered what other sorts of reactions he could coax from the stranger in front of him, a smile perhaps? Or God forbid - a laugh? Draco waited curiously for the response from the stranger in front of him, surely they wouldn’t deny the noises that he had so clearly pointed out as coming from this apartment.

 

“I think your ears are playing tricks on you.” The stranger said, still not offering a name. Draco stared at him in disbelief, he was tired, yes, but he wasn’t at the point of hallucinations yet. He knew from experience that that was around the 72-hour mark, and it had only been one day. One long and exhausting day, but still just one day.

 

Before he could get in a response to point out how absurd the explanation had been, he was rudely cut off by someone else from inside the apartment.

 

“Boy! What’s taking you so long? Who’s at the ruddy door?”

 

“Sorry Uncle Vernon, it’s the new neighbour from below.”

 

“And? What do they want?”

 

At this the stranger, newly named ‘Boy’, though Draco doubted that was his real name, hesitated, narrowing his eyes at the blonde in front of him. Draco, in turn, took in the sweater that was zipped up to his chin, covering a large portion of his body and almost all of his neck. It looked horrid and he couldn’t imagine why someone would willingly wear it, especially on a hot day like today.

 

“...They’re just introducing themselves, Uncle Vernon.”

 

“Well then hurry it up, your Aunt will be home soon and she’s going to want food on the table after a long day out.”

 

“Yes, Uncle Vernon.”

 

Draco heard a huff that sounded vaguely like what he imagined a grumpy goblin would sound like. He raised an eyebrow at the teenager in front of him, silently questioning the lie that had seamlessly run off of his lips. However, as he took in the previously flushed cheeks he realised that the teen had paled considerably, making tanned skin disturbingly close to Draco’s own pale skin. He went to open his mouth to make what he was sure was going to be a sarcastic and witty, yet still filled with concern and friendliness, remark, but was cut off again. Honestly, was today ‘Don’t-Let-Draco-Speak-Day’ and he had just forgotten? Huh, he had been so sure that was next week.

 

“Well, thanks for caring, sir, that’s nice of you to come and investigate,” At this, the black haired teen sneered slightly as if he had been deeply inconvenienced by Draco’s curiosity, “but I have to go back in. I wish I could tell you about the noise, really I do, but I didn’t hear a thing. It must have been the wind.” He shrugged as if at a loss to explain what had clearly come from his own apartment. “Goodnight sir.”

 

“But-”

 

“Sorry, sir, must have been the wind.”

 

The door was swiftly shut on his face, startling him into stumbling back a few steps. What the hell was going on?

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Boy next door](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20735363) by [thesoundofblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesoundofblue/pseuds/thesoundofblue)




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